Working with a Scalpel

[larry c]

I have only tried working with a needle in a pin vice under the scope.
When working with a Scalpel, do you always work wet?
The back side of the blade seems to be safer than the point of a steel
needle, less chance to gouge into metal.
I have a few crudded AE4's I'd like to practice on.
Any advice ?   Thanks Larry

[casata137ec]

When working with a really crudded up and dirty coin I work with a wetted coin (cup of water sitting next to me and just dip it in to clean it off occasionally), but when the coin is getting to the point that there are large fields of clean areas I work dry in order to distinguish between the patina and the dirt, by this time the dirt (even dark dirt on a black coin) will be really noticable when dry. Hope this helps.

Chris

PS also remember to make small circles with the blade instead of going back and forth (less chance of grooving the coin or the patina)

C.

[Mayadigger]

Ave!

Scaples work best with me dry.

K

[fordicus]

For most scapel cleaning I soak the coin for a bit in water, pat dry, and go to work. I've found this works best for removing most of the dirt in the quickest timeframe. When the coin begins to dry out I toss it back in the DI water and grab another coin that was soaking to work on. After a few cycles when most of the dirt has been removed I let the coin dry then finish working on it while dry to get a better perspective of what is dirt/patina and to better see the remaining dirt.

[larry c]

Thanks for the advise!
I've been working on some broken culls and shaving crust off dry
is a lot easier than using a pin vice.
I'm still not comfortable using a scalpel for surface cleaning,
(to heavy of a hand) but I guess that comes with practice.
Although most of these culls look like the surface of the moon
under magnifacation.
Do any of you use a diamond crusted dental pick for fine cleaning
flan surfaces.
Seems like it would have more control than a cutting edge?

[casata137ec]

really, I would be more afraid of cleaning fields with a dddp than an exacto, they have a heck of a lot more bite...now for reducing big crusties, the dddp is the way to go, just as long as you don't get carried away!

Chris

[Mayadigger]

Ave!

I would be more afraid of cleaning fields with a dddp than an exacto, they have a heck of a lot more bite...now for reducing big crusties, the dddp is the way to go, just as long as you don't get carried away!

Chris

Ahem... 

The DDDP #1 works great on cleaning open fields as well as on detail work, trust me.

As I have mentioned before, this magnificent coin cleaning tool does takes a bit of practise. It can work tender as lamb chops or tough as gorilla steak, dependant upon the pressure applied. The 600 grit diamond dust is very gentle, if you are.

For cleaning open fields, always, always remember to use the tool tip in tiny circular motions, never up/down or back/forth. The latter may add unslightly scratches on the patina, without necessarily cutting down to bare metal.

Yes, a DDDP can chew through the toughest encrustations you can imagine, but that's not what it's designed for. Better to first use your scalpel to shave off any problematic areas first, before appling the DDDP. Heavy grinding with the pick will eventiually wear off the diamond dust coating. Replacing a scaple blade is cheap. Replacing a valuable DDDP is not. One DDDP lasts be about one year...and I clean lots of coins, as you know.

If any of you have considered using a DDDP, begin with #1. The #2 DDDP is even more tricky, but should not be a problem once you've mastered the first pick.

Thanks for the advise!
I've been working on some broken culls and shaving crust off dry
is a lot easier than using a pin vice.
I'm still not comfortable using a scalpel for surface cleaning,
(to heavy of a hand) but I guess that comes with practice.
Although most of these culls look like the surface of the moon
under magnifacation.

Larry, try this: rather than continuing to scrape away on culls, go ahead and try out your hand on a few decent coins. You'll make mistakes, but than happens to all of us. You're not cleaning the Sistine Chaple, just some old money. A scratch or two will not distroy any historical significence.

This should apply to all of you, so read carefully. 

Cleaning ancient coins is a wonderful and rewarding hobby, but foremost it should be a fun. If you're not having fun, but rather worrying over your cleaning methods until you become timorous, or even discouraged by your skills, think again.

It's not a competition. Don't fall into the trap of seeing how well other contributor's cleaned coins compare with yours. If that was the case with me, I'd have quit 10 years ago.

As you practise your cleaning skills, try to push the envelope just a bit more on each occasion. If you think you've made a mistake, add it to your learning curve, and move on. Should you come across a scarce/rare coin that currently defies your skills, flip it and set it aside for until your ready to address it.

Last, but not least, again I'll remind all of you that that unless you have coins that can be cleaned, you're not only wasting your money, but even more importantly, your time as well.

Best regards,

Kevin

[mwilson603]

And it must be what you feel comfortable with. 

I personally find that using a blade, (although the right blade!) gives me far more favourable results than a DDDP.  I find that with a blade I can scrape, pick, and grind to a good extent.  I also prefer a blade that is no longer razor sharp, as long as it can still get into the finer details.  With a DDDP I usually manage to impact the patina and scratch/pock mark the coin at some stage.  But with a blade, well I will let you decide with these before and afters. (I know that these have been seen before but I still love the results!  )